Phytonutrients: Paint your plate with the colors of the rainbow
Did you know that adding color to your meals will help you live a longer, healthier life? Colorful fruits and vegetables can paint a beautiful picture of health because they contain phytonutrients, compounds that give plants their rich colors as well as their distinctive tastes and aromas. Phytonutrients also strengthen a plant’s immune system. They protect the plant from threats in their natural environment such as disease and excessive sun.
When humans eat plant foods, phytonutrients protect us from chronic diseases. Phytonutrients have potent anti-cancer and anti-heart disease effects. And epidemiological research sug...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 25, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Katherine D. McManus, MS, RD, LDN Tags: Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
A practical guide to the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet has received much attention as a healthy way to eat, and with good reason. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, certain cancers, depression, and in older adults, a decreased risk of frailty, along with better mental and physical function. In January, US News and World Report named it the “best diet overall” for the second year running.
What is the Mediterranean diet?
The traditional Mediterranean diet is based on foods available in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. The foundation for this healthy diet includes
an abundanc...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 21, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Katherine D. McManus, MS, RD, LDN Tags: Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
“ I need something to dip into guacamole ”
Dipping foods into various dips and sauces surely ranks among the favorite ways to enjoy food: dipping chips into salsa, celery sticks into guacamole, crackers into cheese, shrimp into cocktail sauce, etc.
So how do we go about resuming our dipping habits sans wheat and grains? Here are some ideas for foods to use for dipping, healthy choices that contain no wheat or grains and provide limited exposure to carbohydrates, while remaining otherwise healthy. And some, like jicama and asparagus, also provide prebiotic fibers to nourish bowel flora; dip them into hummus and you’ll add even more probiotics to your day. Vegg...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - February 25, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates gluten-free grain-free wheat belly Source Type: blogs
Going Mediterranean to prevent heart disease
There is a mountain of high-quality research supporting a Mediterranean-style diet as the best diet for our cardiovascular health. But what does this diet actually look like, why does it work, and how can we adopt it into our real lives?
What is a Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is not a fad. It is a centuries-old approach to meals, traditional to the countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. The bulk of the diet consists of colorful fruits and vegetables, plus whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fish and seafood, with olive oil and perhaps a glass of red wine. There is no butter, no refined grains (like ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 16, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Food as medicine Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
Eech (Armenian bulgur)
I saw this dish being made on a TV cooking show. It looked delicious, so I decided to make the grain-free equivalent.
It goes by the odd name “eech,” an Armenian dish made with onions, garlic, tomatoes. parsley, bell pepper, olive oil, lemon . . . and bulgur wheat.
Everyone here, of course, objects to the inclusion of any seed of a grass plant in their lifestyle to avoid becoming diabetic, overweight, and having to massage your painful joints with rheumatoid arthritis or applying topical steroid creams for skin rashes. I therefore replaced the granular bulgur wheat with riced cauliflower. I believe it turned ou...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - January 13, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates Source Type: blogs
Eat more plants, fewer animals
Science has shown us over and over again that the more meat we eat, the higher our risk of diabetes, heart disease, and strokes. Conversely, the more fruits and vegetables we eat, the lower our risk for these diseases, and the lower our body mass index.
Why is eating meat bad? High-quality research shows that red meats (like beef, lamb, pork) and processed meats (bacon, sausage, deli meats) are metabolized to toxins that cause damage to our blood vessels and other organs. This toxic process has been linked to heart disease and diabetes. (Want to know more? Read about how these animal proteins harm the body here and here).
...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - November 29, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Food as medicine Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
5 Ways to Stop Feeling So Irritated All the Time
Constantly annoyed? Here are some strategies.
“I’m taking this car and moving to Florida!” the elderly man in front of me at the DMV raged. He held up the line for a good 20 minutes, all over a measly $25 fee. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person in line thinking, “By all means, head for that state line… and now.”
But you can’t completely blame the guy. Sometimes life triggers what can feels like an endless case of road rage. Even us yogis and meditators aren’t immune from it. Every little thing starts to grate, from the headline in the Washington Post to the #$% convection oven. Woah. If you feel like you...
Source: World of Psychology - November 4, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Psych Central Guest Author Tags: Alternative and Nutritional Supplements Anger Personal Publishers Self-Help Spirituality & Health Stress alone time annoyed anxiety Caffeine Calm Depression irritable irritated Mood Relax Source Type: blogs
Healthy, wholesome easy lunches
Just the idea of packing a lunch elicits a stress response in so many of us. Maybe we’re packing lunch for our kids, maybe it’s for us, but the pressure is on to create a simple yet satisfying, healthy yet hearty, easily transportable meal. This seemingly impossible task is daunting to many people. So much easier to rely on the school cafeteria, lunch trucks, and takeout, right?
Wrong! Let us consider the short- and long-term effects of poor choices at lunchtime. Yes, the school cafeteria may offer some healthy-ish options. I can count on my kids not to choose any of them. Likewise our workplace food trucks and fast fo...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 5, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Food as medicine Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
What is a plant-based diet and why should you try it?
Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy. Rather, you are proportionately choosing more of your foods from plant sources.
Mediterranean and vegetarian diets
What is the evidence that plant-based eating patterns are healthy? Much nutrition research has examined plant-based eating patterns such as the Mediterranean diet and a vegetarian diet. The Mediterranean diet has a foundation of plant-based foo...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 26, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Katherine D. McManus, MS, RD, LDN Tags: Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
Weapons grade chilli oil
UPDATE: Turns out these are Scotch Bonnets, up to 400,000 Scoville units in terms of capsaicin concentration. I’ve now chopped, deseeded and blanched half a pound of them to freeze and pickle.
I wore rubber gloves, a facemask and goggles while I did so, but the house is now full of their volatiles and neither Mrs Sciencebase nor myself can stop coughing and sneezing. I just touched my face with a formerly gloved finger that I thought I’d washed thoroughly and the skin there is sizzling gently…why do we use these weapons on mass destruction in food again, remind me?
UPDATE: I was talking chillis in the p...
Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - September 25, 2018 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: Sciencebase Source Type: blogs
Weapons grade chilli dressing
UPDATE: I blitzed them in the food processor today and converted the jar of pickled chillis into a lethal cocktail for drizzling into curries and marinades etc. Thought I had better put a hazmat type sign on the bottle.
Turns out these are Scotch Bonnets, up to 400,000 Scoville units in terms of capsaicin concentration. I’ve now chopped, deseeded and blanched half a pound of them to freeze and pickle.
I wore rubber gloves, a facemask and goggles while I did so, but the house is now full of their volatiles and neither Mrs Sciencebase nor myself can stop coughing and sneezing. I just touched my face with a formerly g...
Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - September 25, 2018 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: Sciencebase Source Type: blogs
5 tips for the farmers market
It’s peak farmers market season and the stalls are overflowing with piles of attractively arranged yummy fruits and veggies. Buying local and eating organic sounds good, but there are so many choices, and it’s easy to overspend.
Here are five tips to help you get the most bang for your buck at the stalls this fall:
Is it really local?
Not all farm stands represent your local farmers. There are a few ways to tell. The market in our town features an online newsletter, and every week, they send out a list of farmers market vendors. Most have a link, and it’s easy to see which ones are truly local family farms. Other way...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 21, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Food as medicine Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
What ’ s a healthy breakfast?
If you asked someone to list some typical regular weekday morning breakfast foods, they’d probably rattle off things like cereal, toast, bagels, muffins, pancakes, waffles, and maybe eggs and bacon.
But here’s the deal. Breakfast is how we break our overnight fast, and for many people, breaking fast doesn’t have to happen first thing in the morning. That’s right, folks: breakfast does NOT have to happen first thing in the morning. If you are not hungry when you wake up, that is normal, and you do not need to eat. That old myth about “revving up your metabolism” with food first thing was largely created by break...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 13, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Diabetes Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
Barbecue Better for Labor Day
Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, when many of us enjoy a long weekend with friends and family and toast the season with a backyard barbecue. The traditional meat-heavy barbecue menu can be hazardous to your health, but it doesn’t have to be. Some of the most popular barbecue foods are well-known to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (and a number of other diseases, too!), like steak, pork ribs, processed red meats (hot dogs), refined grains (traditional pasta salads, rolls, potato chips), and processed, added sugars (sodas, desserts). But we can help you make over your Labor Day celebration menu with healt...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 31, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
Home cooking: Healthy family meals
Family meals are beneficial for so many reasons. People who prepare meals at home tend to consume significantly more fruits and vegetables, and less sugar and fat. People who enjoy meals at home with others, sitting together and conversing, also have reduced stress and higher life satisfaction. The more frequently families with children have meals together, the more likely the children are to eat a high-quality diet, and the less likely to be overweight or obese. There are also other benefits: these children tend to have higher self-esteem and better academic performance, as well as lower risk of engaging in risky behavior...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 21, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Food as medicine Prevention Source Type: blogs
